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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
THE Warriors were handed a seemingly fair draw for the African Nations Cup 2017 qualifiers and Zifa immediately said the Under-23s will be thrown into the fray.
According to the draw released by Caf yesterday, the Warriors will be in Group L with Guinea, Malawi and Swaziland. Group winners and two best second placed teams will proceed to the finals.
“The Under-23s will be undertaking all senior national team duties until such a time that that position is overturned by the board,” Zifa communications manager Xolisani Gwesela said last night.
He described the draw as fair but not simple.
“There are no lightweights in world football anymore. We will soon be rolling out qualification preparations programme and once again appeal to the corporate world and indeed the government to assist with resources,” said Gwesela.
Zimbabwe open their campaign for the Gabon Afcon qualifiers with an away clash against Malawi on the weekend of June 12 to 14, just two months away.
Guinea will be in Zimbabwe over the weekend of September 4 to 6 before the qualifiers take a rest until March 2016 when the Warriors travel to Swaziland on the weekend of March 23 to 26 and the return leg a few days later.
The Flames of Malawi visit Zimbabwe on the weekend of June 3 to 5 before the Warriors wrap up their campaign with an away trip to Guinea in September 2016.
Guinea will be Zimbabwe’s biggest threat while Malawi can also not be ruled out. Only Swaziland are ranked lower Zimbabwe with Guinea ranked 44th in the world and Malawi 91st.
Zimbabwe are 124th. Swaziland are a distant 163rd.
Warriors’ Afcon 2017 fixtures
June 12-14: Malawi v Zimbabwe
September 4-6: Zimbabwe v Guinea
March 23-26, 2016: Swaziland v Zimbabwe
March 26-26, 2016: Zimbabwe v Swaziland
June 3-5, 2016: Zimbabwe v Malawi
September 2-4: 2016: Guinea v Zimbabwe
Full Afcon 2017 draw
Group A: Tunisia, Togo, Liberia, Djibouti
Group B: Madagascar, DRC, Angola, CAR
Group C: Mali, Equatorial Guinea, Benin, South Sudan
Group D: Burkina Faso, Uganda, Botswana, Comoros
Group E: Zambia, Congo, Kenya, Guinea Bissau
Group F: Cape Verde, Morocco, Libya, Sao Tome
Group G: Nigeria, Egypt, Tanzania, Chad
Group H: Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda, Mauritania
Group I: Cote d’Ivoire, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Gabon
Group J: Algeria, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Seychelles
Group K: Senegal, Niger, Namibia, Burundi
Group L: Guinea, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Swaziland
Group M: Cameroon, South Africa, Gambia, Mauritius
l The group winners and two best second placed teams join hosts Gabon for Finals
Online Reporter